Paul Harvey is an evolutionary biologist who has led the development of robust statistical methods to decipher evolutionary relationships. His work has applied a rigorous basis to the comparative method in evolutionary biology — employed since the days of Charles Darwin — and as such, he has shaped modern thinking in the field.
The comparative method of evolutionary biology is used to correlate characteristics between species. Paul pioneered techniques to use the data and knowledge available in modern science, whilst avoiding artefacts, in untangling the evolutionary relationships between organisms. These problem-solving tools for evolutionary studies have become widely used.
Paul is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at the University of Oxford, and served in a role akin to the CEO of London and Whipsnade zoos for over decade. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to science.
Subject groups
- Organismal biology, evolution and ecology
Evolution, Ethology, Ecology (incl behavioural ecology)
- Other
Public understanding of science
